If they''re the only ones, I'd be surprised. This doesn't seem like a very hard concept for our provincial neighbours to the East to figure out, after all , Quebec is the birthplace of Poutine. That being said, Smoke's says their goal is to bring the "authentic Quebec classic to the world in its original and unique way". This is where my issues begin with Smokey's. How can something be original and unique at the same time. Frankly, I put Smoke's to the test, my roommate hails from France, has lived in Quebec and is an expert on anything French- Parisian or Quebecois. So, needless to say, on Poutine, I'd take his flavour palette over mine any day.
The first time my roommate ventured to the Poutinerie, I could not attend, but he told me that he would let me know how things went. Naturally, he ordered what Smoke's claims is the original: fries, gravy, cheese curds. I've used a term before that many students like myself know all too well, and my roommate agreed, this really does fill a void. He probably a 170 pound male, was unable to finish off a large original poutine, at $7.49, this could likely last you two meals, or one drunk night.
As for authenticity, there were a few obvious errors.
Sauce:
The gravy used at Smoke's is less than hardy. Be it that the new cooks in the kitchen are getting used to churning out batches of this all day, or that the recipe needs some fixing, either way, the gravy is flavourless and lacks any body. There is no mention of "homemade" or "made fresh daily" on Smoke's website, so we'll go with the fact that this is a powdered gravy. Smoke's staff, if you're reading this, please add less water to the gravy mix. The website, and the menu, also have a few other sauces, Curry, Vegetable gravy (Vegetarians read below!!) and home made meat sauce.
Fries:
Overall, the fries were pretty good. It's REAL hard to mess up standard fresh cut Yukon gold potatoes. I know for speed sake these potatoes are blanched and probably refrigerated, which cuts down on the final product's crispy nature most "fry connoisseurs" know and love.
Cheese Curd:
Apparently, this cheese curd is made in the Eastern Townships of Quebec and is as authentic is you can get. It tasted fine, and at least its curd, but the viscosity of the cheese was something to be desired. We want more melting action! (again, Smoke's Staff, please pour HOTTER gravy over these curds).
As mentioned previously as a warning to Vegetarians, my other roommate joined us on our second trip to Smoke's and ordered what we thought would be a completely vegetarian dish, the Veggie Nacho Grande. What he got was veggie nacho fries, with beef gravy. How dumb can you be!!! So make sure you specify Vegetable Gravy when you order your favourite veggie poutine.
Other combinations we tried were:
Country Style -mushrooms, onions, bacon and chicken, a good meal, be sure to order the small, as none of us could finish our small. It was pretty flavourful and a good deal for your money.
Pulled Pork - the pork was sweet, so if you don't like sweet bbq flavour, this isn't for you. I enjoyed this meal and would definitely go back for more.
Overall, Smoke's must thrive off of location, if you look at where they plan to open next, the cities are all student driven, Kingston, London, the areas in Toronto and coming soon, Ottawa. The food is decent grub for the price, but its by no means up to snuff for some serious poutine eaters, so essentially, Quebecois beware, this ain't Quebec. Look for Smoke's to fill that hungry void that snickers chocolate claims it can, and can't. Great location on Richmond Row means this joint will be popping till the wee hours and is open till 5am on Friday nights. I cannot wait to try this under the influence.
